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Nov 10, 2023

AP Weekend Racing Capsules: Cup Series heads to WWTC

Ryan Blaney celebrates with his pit crew in Victory Lane after winning this past

Ryan Blaney celebrates with his pit crew in Victory Lane after winning this past Monday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

Ryan Blaney made a race delayed to Monday by rain worth the wait, especially after going nearly 60 races without a victory.

Blaney's win at Charlotte gave Team Penske its first-ever sweep of the Coca-Cola 600 and Indy 500 in the same year. The Cup Series heads to World Wide Technology Raceway this weekend.

Josef Newgarden became the first American to win the Indianapolis 500 since 2016 by passing defending race winner Marcus Ericsson on the last lap.

Max Verstappen was dominant to win for the fourth time in six starts in Formula One. He's won 20 of the past 30 races.

NASCAR CUP SERIES

Enjoy Illinois 300

Site: Madison, Ill.

Schedule: Saturday, practice, 10 a.m., and qualifying, 10:45 a.m.; Sunday, race, 3:30 p.m. (FS1).

Track: World Wide Technology Raceway.

Race distance: 240 laps, 300 miles.

Last year: Joey Logano won after starting seventh.

Last race: Ryan Blaney took the lead from William Byron on a restart and led the final 26 laps at Charlotte to end a 59-race winless drought.

Fast facts: Blaney's victory in a race delayed a day by rain gave Team Penske its first-ever sweep of the Memorial Day weekend's big races after Josef Newgarden won the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. ... Byron finished second, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick.. ... The 5 1/2-hour race included five accidents in the final 50 laps. ... Blaney, tied for the series lead with eight top-10 finishes in 14 races, moved within a point of Ross Chastain for the series points lead with Byron four points back and Kevin Harvick eight back. ... NASCAR on Tuesday suspended Hendrick Motorsports star Chase Elliott for this week's race for intentionally wrecking Denny Hamlin at Charlotte. His team says it will not appeal.

Next race: June 11, Sonoma, Calif.

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NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

Pacific Office

Automation 147

Site: Portland, Oregon.

Schedule: Saturday, practice, 11:30, qualifying, noon, and race, 4:30 p.m. (FS1).

Track: Portland International Raceway.

Race distance: 75 laps, 147.5 miles.

Last year: A.J. Allmendinger won after starting 10th.

Last race: Justin Allgaier won at Charlotte in a race that took more than 12 hours to complete because of rain.

Fast facts: The race was originally scheduled for last Saturday, but was postponed by rain. It started Monday morning but was red-flagged for a second time because of rain after just 48 laps; the race was completed after the Coca-Cola 600. ... John Hunter Nemechek finished second, followed by Cole Custer, Austin Hill and Ty Gibbs. ... Gibbs completed 900 laps on Monday after also running the 600. ... Nemechek moved into the points lead by 10 over Austin Hill with Allgaier third, 50 points behind.

Next race: June 10, Sonoma, Calif.

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NASCAR TRUCK SERIES

Toyota 200

Site: Madison, Ill.

Schedule: Practice and qualifying was on Friday; Saturday, race, 1:30 p.m. (FS1).

Track: World Wide Technology Raceway.

Race distance: 160 laps, 200 miles.

Last year: Corey Heim won after starting in the pole position.

Last race: Ben Rhodes passed Carson Hocevar after a restart on Lap 111 of 134 and pulled away at Charlotte for his first victory of the season.

Fast facts: Rhodes beat Heim to the checkered flag by 2.398 seconds. ... There have been nine different race winners through 11 events, with Zane Smith and Christian Eckes the only two-time winners. ... Heim leads the point standings by 26 over Ty Majeski and 43 over Smith; Eckes is sixth, 82 points off the lead. ... Dean Thompson finished a career-best third.

Next race: June 23, Nashville, Tenn.

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FORMULA ONE

Spanish Grand Prix

Site: Montmelo, Spain.

Schedule: Two practice sessions were on Friday; Saturday, practice, 6:30 a.m., and qualifying, 10 a.m.; Sunday, race, 9 a.m. (ESPN).

Track: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Race distance: 66 laps, 190.9 miles.

Last year: Max Verstappen won after starting second.

Last race: Verstappen led from start to finish to win at Monaco, his fourth victory in six races this season.

Fast facts: Verstappen passed former Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel's team record of 38 victories when he won four straight titles from 2010-13. ... Verstappen has won 20 of the past 30 races, including the final race of the 2021 season that earned him his first of two consecutive championships. ... Red Bull has won all six races so far, with Sergio Perez claiming the other two. ... Spanish veteran Fernando Alonso was second for Aston Martin, his fifth podium in six races, but finished 28 seconds behind Verstappen. .... Frenchman Esteban Ocon was third, giving Alpine a rare podium.

Next race: June 18, Montreal, Canada.

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INDYCAR

Detroit Grand Prix

Site: Detroit, Mich.

Schedule: Qualifying started Friday and concludes Saturday; Sunday, race 3 p.m. (NBC).

Track: Detroit street circuit.

Race distance: 100 laps, 170 miles.

Last year: Will Power won after starting 16th at Belle Isle, the deepest starting spot for a race winner of the season.

Last race: Josef Newgarden passed defending race winner Marcus Ericsson in a one-lap dash to the finish to win his first Indianapolis 500 and give team — and track — owner Roger Penske his 19th career victory in the race.

Fast facts: The victory was the first in the 500 for Team Penske since its owner bought Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2020. ... After the race was red-flagged for the third time in the final 16 laps, Newgarden was moved from fourth to second by race control following a review of the running order at the time the yellow flag waved. ... Newgarden, of Nashville, Tennessee, is the first American to win the Indy 500 since Alexander Rossi in 2016. He beat Ericsson by .0974 seconds, the fourth-closest finish in 107 Indy 500s. ... 2021 season champion Alex Palou leads the point standings by 20 over Ericsson, 34 over Pato O’Ward and 37 over Newgarden.

Next race: June 18, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

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NHRA DRAG RACING

Last event: Clay Millican won in Top Fuel and Tim Wilkerson won in Funny Car in Elwood, Illinois.

Next event: June 4, Epping, N.H.

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WORLD OF OUTLAWS

Next events: Raced at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D., on Friday and the series races again Saturday night at Ogilvie Raceway in Ogilvie, Minn.

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